Austin Butler says he wishes Lisa Marie Presley could have seen him receive an Oscar nomination for 'Elvis': 'I know she's smiling down right now'
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- Austin Butler has received his first-ever Oscars nomination for his performance in "Elvis."
- Lisa Marie Presley did not live to see the film receive recognition from the Academy Awards.
- "I know she'd be really happy right now," he said of Presley on Good Morning America on Tuesday.
Austin Butler has reflected on the tragedy that Lisa Marie Presley did not get to see his portrayal of her father in Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" receive recognition from the Academy Awards.
Lisa Marie, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, died on January 12 after going into cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas, California, according to multiple outlets. TMZ was the first to report the news.
Her death came just two days after she and her mother accompanied Butler and Luhrmann to the 2023 Golden Globe Awards, where Butler won best actor for his performance as Elvis Presley in the biopic.
Speaking to Good Morning America on Tuesday after the nominations for this year's Academy Awards were announced, Butler said: "I know she's smiling down right now."
"You know, life is full of so many ups and downs, and while this is such a positive moment, the grief is just so deep with the loss of Lisa Marie," he continued. "I know that this was important to her, so I know she'd be really happy right now."
"While we didn't know each other for a very, very long time, we got very deep quickly," he continued, "that was the most meaningful thing to me."
Warner Bros.
In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor said: "I just wish she was here to celebrate today with us."
"[This role] seemed as though it was this impossible mountain to climb in front of me," he said of taking on the role of the king of rock 'n' roll."There were so many pitfalls and so I just was focusing on one step at a time. And really the thing for me was just honoring the life of this man and his family."
"And that's why those moments when Lisa Marie and Priscilla got to see the film and then I first saw them after … nothing I would do would ever top that," he continued. "And especially with Lisa Marie not being here with us."
He went on to say that he's "grateful" that he was able to spend time with Lisa Marie before she died.
"When I see moments like today or when I feel moments like today, I have to really take a second to go, 'OK, this is this is something to be really grateful for.' But nothing compares to that moment I looked in her eyes after she first saw the film, where she told me how much it meant to her. I'll really cherish that for the rest of my life."
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He added that Lisa Marie — who was a vocal supporter of the film from her first viewing — "was the most straightforward and supportive person."
In a series of tweets last May ahead of the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, she said that Butler's portrayal of Elvis was done "accurately and respectfully," adding that he "channeled and embodied my father's heart & soul beautifully."
Overall, the film received eight Oscar nominations, making it the fourth most-nominated film this year.
As well as for best actor, it is up for best sound, best costume design, best makeup and hairstyling, best production design, best film editing, best cinematography, and best picture.